Sean Pierson, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight and Brock graduate, and Adam Growe, host of the Discovery Channel’s Cash Cab Canada, were on hand on Feb. 9 to sign autographs and pose for photos. The General Brock Dollar Store is located in the Thistle complex next to Scotiabank.

The 6-foot, 170 lb. Pierson graduated from Brock with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2001. He worked at Dell Computers as an account manager for about nine years before climbing into the ring.

On Dec. 11, the 34-year-old Pierson (11-4-0 all-time) realized a dream by winning his debut match at UFC 124 in Montreal, after he was called in to replace an injured fighter. The Pickering native will meet American Brian Foster (17-5-0) in UFC 131 on April 30 in Toronto, the first-ever UFC event in Ontario.

“The UFC coming to Ontario is huge. It opens up sponsorships and the number of events. It’s just going to explode in the province,” he said.

“For me personally, it means I can finally fight in front of my friends, fans and family.”

Attending Brock as a student athlete set Pierson up for his post-university life.

“I gained a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic while I was here. Wrestling (for the Badgers) set up my UFC career,” he said.

Adam Growe, 43, is a Canadian comedian and licensed Toronto cab driver in addition to host of Cash Cab Canada.

“People love the unexpected element,” said Growe of the success of the show where unsuspecting people enter the Cash Cab as passengers expecting a normal taxi ride, only to discover they’re instant contestants on a science-themed game show.

“They enjoy having the chance to win money with friends. Even winning a few hundred dollars feels like winning a million dollars to them.”

Growe will be back in March (date to be determined) for an evening of standup comedy and trivia games at Isaac’s.

Adam Growe, left, and Sohail Ahmed, president of the Brock University Students' Union, cut the ribbon on the new store.